


Dreams Of The Past

by ShipMistress



Series: Follow Your Heart [3]
Category: How to Train Your Dragon (Movies)
Genre: F/M, Reunion, answers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-26
Updated: 2020-03-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 00:35:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,474
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23326363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShipMistress/pseuds/ShipMistress
Summary: Hiccup and Astrid reconnect and answer a few questions.
Relationships: Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III/Astrid Hofferson
Series: Follow Your Heart [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1677499
Comments: 11
Kudos: 37





	Dreams Of The Past

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I said this sequel has two parts, right?   
> Hahaha...  
> Well...  
> The thing is...   
> ...  
> basically...  
> I lied.

They talked all day; endless hours of reconnecting and of filling each other in about what had happened during the past ten years. Astrid told Hiccup about the years he’d missed and what had happened on Berk. About her friendship with his grandmother and how she’d inherited the ring Hiccup might have given her himself if things had gone differently. About the difficult and sometimes tiring contact she’d kept with his father. And about Zephyr. So much about Zephyr… 

Bringing back all the moments he’d missed was impossible, but Astrid tried to give him as much as she could, telling stories and showing him pictures. Zephyr was around for most of the times, not shy in the least, just like she always was. She was just as curious to get to know Hiccup as he was for her, and so she asked endless questions, told him stories of her own, and even pulled him outside to show him her little workshop. 

From what Astrid could tell, it was easier for Zephyr than it was for Hiccup. She’d always known that her father had existed, and wasn’t yet old enough to fully grasp the meaning of _death_. To her, he’d just come back from a long journey, unexpected but not as much of a miracle as it was for Astrid. Hiccup, on the other hand, had never known, not even _suspected_ , that he had a daughter. But even though this fact obviously threw him off quite a bit, he nonetheless put in a lot of effort to get to know her. 

The sight of the two of them tentatively bonding brought tears to Astrid’s eyes, but she quickly wiped them away before either of them could see them. She wasn’t sad, after all; just overwhelmed. If there ever had been _any_ doubt whether Zephyr was Hiccup’s daughter, then seeing the two of them together now was proof enough. They were just the same in their excitement, in their joyful curiosity of the unknown.

Somehow, the whole day passed by like this. Zephyr was sent to bed eventually, and when Astrid returned to Hiccup after kissing her daughter good night, he’d already made himself at home and prepared some snacks for them, cheese, fruits, and some light wine. The sight made Astrid pause, her stomach doing a strange flip at this domestic act. 

“I… hope you don’t mind?” he asked, gesturing at the food. 

Taking a deep breath to steady herself, Astrid shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Just… unexpected? I like it though.”

Smiling, he took her hand and led her toward the table. They sat down on opposite sides, but their hands kept holding on to each other. Finally, after having avoided this topic all day for Zephyr’s sake, Hiccup told her what had happened to him. How he’d gotten stranded after the Night Fury sank, how he’d been found and rescued by a man called Bran and his wife Mora, and how it had taken months before he’d been able to even leave the bed. She’d been right in that this had cost him his leg in the end; a broken board had nearly pierced his calf, and he’d been lucky that he'd only lost the leg and not his life. He told her about the years he lived on that foreign island with no memories of who he was and surrounded by people who, while welcoming and friendly, didn’t know who he was, either. 

“It was… strange,” he murmured. His eyes were cast to where he idly played with her fingers, brushing over the ring there. “Whenever I tried to remember _anything_ , the only image that would come to my mind was that of a beautiful woman waving me goodbye.” He shot her a small smile but quickly dropped his gaze again. “I knew that she was important to me, but I had no idea who she was. Or where. And… and I wanted to look for you! But my condition made travelling impossible for a very long time. It took over three years before I could walk for longer than a few minutes again, and… Well, I guess I was too scared to leave what little I _knew_ for something unknown. Again. I also felt like I owed them for saving me. So I stayed, helped as best I could. But I never could get you out of my head.”

Astrid squeezed his hand, fighting to reign in the butterflies in her belly at his words. It had been the same for her, she’d never been able to forget him, either. “So, what changed?” she asked carefully. “You regained your memories?”

Smiling, he nodded. He lifted their intertwined hands to breathe a soft kiss onto her knuckles. "I did… because of you!" Astrid cocked her head, confused, but he elaborated without her prompting. "The village that took me in… the people there have a tradition. When a baby is born, all family members and close friends are to suggest a name. And if the parents pick one of the suggested names, that person automatically becomes something of an… an honorary parent, you can say. It's considered a great honour. As a stranger with no family, I've never been a part of this ceremony, not until last year. Ella, the eldest daughter of the family that took me in, bore her first child. A beautiful little girl with eyes as blue as the sky and wispy blond curls that would stick out in every direction." His smile became fond, his gaze distant for a moment. "By then, I'd lived with them for many years, and Ella wanted me to suggest a name as well since I've always been like an older brother to her. And when she handed me the bundle with the baby…there was this one name that shot into the forefront of my mind. _Astrid._ " 

He looked up again, his eyes still as intense as in her memories despite the small wrinkles and weathered skin around them. "Until that moment, I couldn't remember your name. I only ever saw your face, over and over, every time I closed my eyes. But that was it. In my head, I always just called you Milady. But at that moment, when I blurted out your name… _everything_ suddenly came back to me. I think I nearly dropped the baby." He chuckled. 

“After that… It took me a couple of months more to make up my mind. I liked the life I had there with Bran, Mora, Ella, and the others, and I had no idea what I might find when I came back here after all this time. Whether there still would be a place for me here. Who would still _be_ here…” He swallowed, probably thinking about Bruna. 

It pained Astrid to think about how the old woman had died without knowing that her grandson was still alive, but it couldn’t be helped. “Your father will be over-joyous to see you again. People say he’s not been the same since… since that day. And… well, obviously, I’m still here, too.”

Hiccup looked up again, a strange smile on his face. Warm but also sad. “That is all I need.” Then his expression turned earnest. “Are you, though?”

Frowning, Astrid cocked her head. Was he trying to make a joking reference about her mistaking him for a vision earlier? But it didn’t _feel_ like he was joking… 

“I mean,” he elaborated upon her confusion, “of course, you’re here. We both are. But… that doesn’t mean we can automatically continue as if the last ten years haven’t happened, does it? As much as I want that, this day with you and… and with Zephyr made one thing clear. You’re a grown woman now and not the same as the girl I’ve been falling for ten years ago, the girl I was missing without knowing her. And I am not the same man I used to be either.” Again, the tips of his fingers brushed over her ring as he murmured, “We’ve both lived in the past. It was a beautiful memory, a dream. But now, it’s about the future, about reality. Do you think there’s still a path for us?”

Astrid had watched him all day, unwilling to look away out of fear he might disappear. But now, she let her eyes drop, unable to meet his gaze. His words had torn at something inside her, some fears she hadn’t known about until this moment. “Is this…” she gulped. “Are you trying to say th-that you don’t _want_ this? A domestic life and a family?” 

It wasn’t surprising, was it? Hadn’t he once told her that he wanted to see the world? Was he just passing through and hadn’t come to stay at all? 

He was right, neither of them was the same person they used to be. When she’d believed him to be dead, it had been easy to imagine a _‘What if’_ with him by her side, of raising Zephyr together. But the truth was that, despite their connection and still feeling drawn to him, she didn’t _know_ him, didn’t know what he wanted. He was nothing but a stranger, and the man of her dreams had really been just that – a dream. 

She wanted to pull her hands back, didn’t want him to notice how much they were shaking. However, he didn’t let go of her. On the contrary, his grip became even tighter for a second, making her hold still. Making her _hope_. 

“No, that’s not what I wanted to say!” he said urgently. “I had my share of adventures. It’s about what I said earlier. I _could_ have just stayed with them. But I didn’t. I came here, but not for my grandma or my dad. I-I came for you! Because it was what my heart wanted, more than anything else. I wanted to come back to you, to _be_ with you. But now, I realise how presumptuous that was. You have your own life now, and I have no right to intrude on it.” He ducked his head, his fingers twitching around hers. 

“But… but maybe we can start anew?” He looked up again, his expression hopeful. “Astrid, I _do_ want this! If you think there’s a chance for us, then I want to try. Whatever happened between us ten years ago, I know that it was something real, something _meaningful_. I wasted my chance once, and... well, here’s hoping that it wasn’t my one and only chance after all…”

She was barely aware of how much her hands were trembling, the reminder of him using those exact words again almost too much to bear. This was _real_. He was here, alive, after all this time. This wasn’t just one of her fantasies or dream visions she sometimes made up in her mind. It was about the future, hers and Zephyr’s. And Hiccup’s. If she wanted him… 

“Yes!” she choked out past the lump in her throat. Her fingers twitched, curling around his hand, so warm and sure. “Yes, I want us to try!” In her chest, her heart made a funny flip. “Gods, that’s… it’s all I ever wanted, Hiccup. A chance!”

The joy in his eyes was a reflection of her own feelings, so real and overwhelming. Fate had given them a second chance and they would not waste it.

**. o O o .**

More hours went by while Hiccup told her about his life. Even the smallest and most unimportant details were captivating for Astrid, everything to learn a little more about him. To him, she was nothing but a stranger. But over the years, she’d learned so much about who he used to be, and she was eager to compare the picture in her mind with the actual person sitting there at her dining table. And the more she learned the better she liked him. 

Eventually though, he sighed, wistfully. “I think I better go now,” he said, glancing out of the window into the dark night. “It will be difficult enough to convince my dad that I’m not an evil spirit there to haunt him when I appear in the middle of the night.” Chuckling, he stood up and stretched, wincing a little as his weight shifted to his complicated-looking prosthetic. 

Astrid watched him, her head cocked in confusion. “You won’t stay?” she asked, inwardly scolding herself for how pathetic she sounded. 

For just a heartbeat, there was a fire in Hiccup’s eyes, one that made her cheeks flush and her heart beat faster. But then, he quickly turned away. “I don’t think that would be a good idea,” he muttered, swallowing thickly. 

She stood up and followed him, caught his hand to make him pause. “Why?” 

Hiccup inhaled deeply then turned back toward her. Again, there was this fire in his eyes, burning even hotter as he stepped closer. His hands rose to cup her face and slowly, almost hesitantly even, he brushed his lips over hers. It couldn’t even be called a true kiss, certainly nothing against the one they’d shared this morning. But somehow, it was sweeter, more important. 

“Because I want to do this _right_ ,” he murmured into the small space between them. “I don’t want to rush it. That night in the tavern… It was wonderful, the best night of my life. But while it was perfect for us back then, it wouldn’t be right for us now.”

Astrid’s eyes closed and she exhaled shakily. She could see his point, she really did. But when he made to pull away, she held on to him nonetheless, keeping him close. “Stay,” she whispered. “Please.”

“Astrid, I–” he began to protest, but she cut him off right away. 

“No, not… not like that. I-I just want you to hold me. I want you to be here when I wake up. So that I know this day wasn’t just another dream. Please!”

_Oh, please…_ If this day had been just another dream again… Astrid wasn’t sure if she could take that. She’d so often dreamed of his return… But this felt so real. She _wanted_ it to be real. 

With a sigh, Hiccup gave in to her pulling him back against her. Pained understanding flickered up in his eyes, and he leaned his forehead against hers, his nose lightly stroking along her cheekbone. It felt wonderful, sending warm shivers along her skin. “Alright,” he murmured in a warm and reassuring tone. “I’ll stay. And hopefully, you’ll believe that I’m real in the morning.”

Chuckling weakly, she leaned against his warm chest, inhaled his scent of leather and the sea. “That might take a while. Gods, I missed you so much!” 

He caressed her cheek with the back of fingers, gently, and whispered, “I’ll be here, no matter how long it takes.”

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, this was this.   
> I have at least two more scenes written/planned that I want to add to this AU. But there could be more. Who knows?   
> As always, I'd be happy to hear your thoughts. :)


End file.
